


As Expected

by MissSunFlower94



Series: Illustrations of a Wizard in Love [2]
Category: Mairelon the Magician - Patricia Wrede
Genre: F/M, love realizations, of a sort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 19:13:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16181429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissSunFlower94/pseuds/MissSunFlower94
Summary: Shortly after Kim's Come-Out, Lady Elizabeth Wendall and Renee D'Auber observe a developing situation.





	As Expected

**Author's Note:**

> "Lady Wendall and Renee D'Auber were watching them with expressions that could only be described as smug."
> 
> These ladies knew what was up. And listen, my favorite thing is writing about relationships as viewed from a third party. That's all this is.

Two days after her son’s ward, Kim, had her Come-Out Ball, Lady Elizabeth Wendall stood off to the side of Mrs. Coombs’s ballroom and watched the girl in question politely greeting a growing mass of new acquaintances – and admirers – and considered herself quite pleased with her social success.

One of the first things Richard had told Elizabeth about the street urchin he’d taken in as a ward and magical apprentice was that she was an incredibly quick study, and over the past weeks she had seen that it had not been false praise. Kim was intelligent, sensible, and indeed, quick to pick up everything from the complicated House Ward spell to the even more complicated rules of Society. The latter confused her more, but she showed remarkable patience given the circumstances and knew to express her confusion and frustration in private.

Indeed, in public Kim appeared entirely collected. A bit on the quiet side, cautious and aware of every move she made, but that made the occasional witty – or sarcastic –  remark that slipped through more charming than anything. Her success bemused her, but Elizabeth was not surprised by it in the least; Society could benefit from having a few more young ladies like her.

The young gentlemen present this Season certainly seemed to agree, Elizabeth noted, watching as the Marquis of Harsfeld escorted Kim to an open seat at the opposite edge of the ballroom. After a moment, Elizabeth realized she was frowning at the scene taking place before her.

The Marquis’ behavior was entirely proper, and his attentions seemed both genuine and welcome. She wondered if Kim’s own behavior was due to liking him the best or simply _knowing_ him the best among the throngs of young men who now sought her attention. Still she did wonder if she should speak to Kim about-

Elizabeth’s frown deepened, considering her own thoughts. Speak to Kim about what? Richard’s ward was new to Society, that was true, but she knew her own heart perfectly well, and could be every bit as stubborn as her son when it came to things that she did not want. A girl with her history was hardly an innocent child, to be taken in by the first gentleman who talked sweet to her.

If Lord Franton did make an offer to Kim and she chose to accept it, that was her choice and what’s more, would be a very advantageous match for her. And yet, the notion still made her frown.

“I was, of course, certain that Mademoiselle Kim would be a hit,” Renee D’Auber had appeared at her shoulder, following her gaze to Kim. “But I feel she has outdone everyone’s expectations.”

Elizabeth nodded, allowing herself a bit of pride. “She certainly has. I knew Kim would be original and Society has a tendency to be of two minds on such things, but it appears she has won them all. I’m quite proud of her.”

They watched the ballroom in a comfortable, companionable silence for a few minutes, before Renee spoke again.

“You are of all things very sensible,” she said matter-of-factly. “I can assume you have, then, spoken to Mademoiselle Kim that she is not required to accept the first man who pays her his addresses?”

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, silently surprised by how closely the young woman’s words had mirrored her earlier thoughts. “Not in so many words, Mademoiselle. And neither do I necessarily feel such a talk is needed with Kim. She possesses her own good sense, after all.”

Renee pursed her lips and nodded. “Yes, I suppose that it is not her sense that is the problem.” Before Elizabeth could respond, Renee cast a sidelong look her way and added, “Monsieur Merrill is a good friend to me, as well you know.”

Again surprised by the turns this conversation was taking, she nodded. Indeed, there had been a time – before Richard had left the country – that she felt reasonably sure that Mademoiselle D’Auber would be the recipient of an offer of marriage herself, despite Richard outright laughing at the idea. Renee, he had told her, was far too old a friend, it would feel like marrying a sister. Privately, Elizabeth had thought a marriage based on that close a friendship was more than many had to hope for and, for two exceptionally eccentric wizards such as themselves, was likely the best option they’d have. But she knew better than to tire herself trying to convince Richard of anything when he got a notion in his head, and accepted Renee as a friend of the family.

Oblivious to these thoughts, Renee continued, looking again out at the busy ballroom floor. “As his friend, I would like most to see him happy. And it gives me the upmost unhappiness to think that he may lose what is a very good chance while he is being either entirely too stubborn or preoccupied – or both – to see it.”

Elizabeth frowned, ready to comment that the matters preoccupying Richard at this time were of considerable importance, before realizing that wasn’t exactly what Renee meant. “I’m afraid I don’t follow,” she said slowly. She looked from Renee back out at the ballroom, as if searching for the answer there. “What does this have to do with…”

Her eyes fell on Kim, politely accepting a glass of punch from Lord Franton. The lighting in the ballroom alit on the beading embroidered onto her dress and woven into her dark hair. Her smile was shy but becoming, and she looked every bit as beautiful as the most seasoned young ladies of Society.

“… Kim,” she finished softly.

_Oh._

Renee smiled, her tone a little sympathetic as she said, “Of a certainty, you have been busy organizing Mademoiselle Kim’s wonderful ball, and assisting Monsieur Merrill with his, er, difficulties of the magical sort; it is not at all unexpected that you have not noticed that he looks at her like-” she waved a hand as if trying to encapsulate the feeling into a gesture. Failing, she simply said, “the way it is all young ladies wish to be looked at.”

She wasn’t wrong; Elizabeth had not noticed the way Richard looked at Kim – at least not until it had been pointed out. Now she was having difficulty understanding how she had missed it, even if she had been, as Renee graciously pointed out, rather preoccupied herself.

 _Would_ she have seen it otherwise? It was difficult to say. Kim was her son’s  _ward_ , after all; it was not exactly where one expected to see a romance develop. But then, Richard rarely acted as one expected. And despite his legal status as her guardian, he was not much older than Kim – roughly eight years as far as anyone could determine. That was a smaller gap than in both of Elizabeth’s marriages. The higher end of average, perhaps, but average all the same.  

It was clear, as well, that in Richard’s eyes, Kim being his ward was entirely secondary to her being his apprentice and in all other ways than in her magic lessons, he appeared to see her as an equal. A companion. And he was fond of her, of that Elizabeth had no doubt; always so encouraging of her progress, always proud of her accomplishments, always as charmed by her quick wit and cleverness as the rest of Society was by her beauty and talent. She remembered the way he had smiled at Kim after her Come-Out Ball Illusion – the gentle, unguarded, warmth to it – and realized that the reason she _hadn’t_ marked it as important was because it had not been the first time he had looked at her that way. It simply the way Richard _always_ looked at Kim. Renee was very much correct.

Good God, her son was in love with his ward.

 “Well,” she said to no one in particular.

Renee nodded as though the single word were a sage commentary on the situation. “Yes, that has been my feelings on the matter as well.” She shook her head with a soft laugh. “Monsieur Merrill is very much your son, and I think, me, that he has been so occupied that he has not even noticed how he is feeling, because he is thinking that it is how he has always felt.”

“That… does sound like Richard,” she admitted. “When he’s got his head in something he’s never been the best at looking beyond it, even at something like his own heart. It can be rather frustrating.”

“It is incredibly frustrating,” Renee agreed. “When Mademoiselle Kim is herself getting the attentions of interested gentlemen who are of all things very aware of their hearts.”

Elizabeth looked back out at the ballroom at large, considering the problem. Now that it had presented itself, the idea of Kim marrying into the family was an appealing one. A clever and sensible young woman like her would very good for Richard. Indeed, she already was; from what Elizabeth had observed, Kim was one of the precious few people capable to talking her son into or out of things once his mind was made up, and that was no small task.

But as things stood that match, as attractive as it might be, was still Kim’s choice and she had a feeling the girl was no more aware of Richard’s feelings for her than she herself had been only minutes ago. And it wouldn’t be at all the thing to tell her – or him, for that matter.  

No. Such matters would need to settled between the two of them, on their own.

“Well,” she said again. “This is certainly a more eventful Season than I had expected.”

Renee laughed. “I find, with respect, that very little goes as expected with Monsieur Merrill.”

That certainly appeared to be the case, Elizabeth thought. And if anything did happen between Richard and Kim, she had a feeling that, too, would come to pass in the most unexpected manor.


End file.
